The Challenge

Before Wang Dong came along, Old Shi had been the boss of this group of interstellar miners.

His skills were good, and he wasn't unlucky, either. Even though he was a lousy person, that didn't affect his standing.

After Wang Dong arrived, his rapid progress directly threatened Old Shi's position among the miners.

And so Old Shi set his sights on Wang Dong.

"Well, look who it is—our star miner, Brother Dong. Brother Dong, Brother Dong, my mining skills aren't up to scratch. Could you give me some pointers on how I ought to move?"

Speak of the devil, and he appears.

A slick voice suddenly cut into the Local Area Network communications.

An image of a greasy middle-aged man appeared in Wang Dong's mind.

A receding hairline, thick lips, and a pair of dull little eyes.

Ugh.

Wang Dong suddenly found himself resenting his excellent memory.

Why did he remember such worthless information so clearly?

His brain was fully grown by now. Couldn't it take the initiative and clear itself out every so often?

After a brief pause, Wang Dong didn't respond with an insult.

Whether before he'd crossed over into this interstellar age or in his previous life before he was reborn, Wang Dong had never been the sort who could win with his words.

So when faced with this kind of provocation, he chose his usual response.

"Fine. Let's fight."

If you wanted a fight, then you fought. It was that simple.

"Ooh, there's another show to watch!"

"Come on, come on! I'm taking bets. Old Shi wins, one to one-point-five. Brother Dong wins, one to one-point-one!"

"Gambler, are you trying to get yourself killed again? Everyone loves watching Brother Dong beat Old Shi. You dare take bets and risk going bankrupt?"

"Not worried, not worried. At worst, I'll mine for free this time. And if Brother Dong lets Old Shi win, heh heh heh. You know what I mean."

"Of course. Lishui Mountain Villa, right?"

"Hey, why does Brother Dong always start with 'Fine'?"

"Obviously, if I knew, I'd be Brother Dong myself."

"Hahaha!"

The communications channel was suddenly filled with cheerful chatter.

Quite a few miners had gathered around Forward Base, waiting for the Asteroid Belt's Clear Window Period.

When they saw Wang Dong give his usual direct response, they all perked up.

In the cold, lifeless reaches of space, with the tedious, monotonous life of mining, it would be hard to endure without an optimistic attitude that seized on every bit of fun.

Between men, the most direct clashes were naturally the easiest way to ignite their passion.

Wang Dong's declaration of battle had achieved Old Shi's goal, but Old Shi still didn't know when to quit.

He kept chattering away.

It wasn't that he was long-winded. He was trying to provoke Wang Dong with a verbal barrage.

Wang Dong simply set Old Shi's words to display as text in the communications channel, freeing his ears.

Miners didn't settle their disputes with the pitifully weak defensive laser guns mounted on their mining ships.

These defensive laser guns couldn't even pierce the G1-class aviation steel plating—the bare minimum for spaceflight. They were basically only useful against tiny bits of space debris.

Miners, of course, competed in the skills of their trade.

For example, piloting a ship or carrying out mining operations.

What Wang Dong and Old Shi would be competing at was who could pilot a ship deeper into the mining zone.

The Asteroid Belt Mining Zone was famous for its complicated airspace.

The farther in you went, the more variables there were, and the more complex the conditions became.

The slightest mistake by a mining ship venturing into its depths could mean destruction and death.

Of course, greater risks brought greater rewards.

The deeper parts of the mining zone held richer ore deposits.

The more remote the area, the better its ore deposits were preserved.

As long as you could make it in safely, the haul would inevitably be far greater than in the outskirts of the mining zone.

The ability to reach the deeper parts of a mining zone was one of the most important measures of an interstellar miner's skill.

This kind of contest best showcased a miner's courage and technique.

Naturally, it drew wild enthusiasm from the miners.

This wasn't the first time Old Shi had provoked Wang Dong and challenged him to a contest.

Wang Dong knew exactly what was on Old Shi's mind.

Old Shi had always believed that Wang Dong's consistently greater hauls were due to his knowing some secret about the mining zone, rather than simply being more skilled.

When it came to piloting and mining, Old Shi didn't believe he was any worse than Wang Dong.

Maybe Wang Dong had found a particularly rich ore deposit?

Or figured out some kind of pattern in how the Asteroid Belt Mining Zone moved?

Or uncovered some other unknown secret?

Old Shi often followed behind Wang Dong, more or less deliberately, while he mined, hoping to discover Wang Dong's secret that way.

He also provoked Wang Dong every now and then.

Wang Dong was sick to death of the clingy bastard.

Thanks to his decent piloting skills and understanding of his ship's capabilities and condition, shaking Old Shi was easy enough if he put in a little effort.

But even if he shook him off ten or twenty times,

the next time, Old Shi would come back with that greasy middle-aged voice and provoke him again.

Or else he would silently trail behind Wang Dong.

Like a buzzing fly constantly circling nearby.

It made Wang Dong want to pull out its guts, wrap them around its neck dozens of times, and give them a good yank!

Ah, peace and quiet at last.

In fact, Wang Dong had done exactly that in his previous life.

It was after this contest that Old Shi disappeared from his life forever.

The world had indeed grown quiet, but only for a little while.

The trouble that followed had stayed close on its heels.

"Same rules as always. We leave as soon as the Clear Window Period begins, and the winner is decided by comparing our routes after we return."

In his same greasy middle-aged voice, Old Shi repeated the rules of the contest.

"Fine."

Wang Dong agreed readily.

The Asteroid Belt was always in motion.

The celestial bodies within it traveled at different speeds, depending on their varying sizes and masses, as well as the turbulent trajectories they followed.

Along the Asteroid Belt's outermost edge, a Turbulence Belt made up of small and microscopic celestial bodies often circled the region.

These small and microscopic bodies orbited the outer edge of the Asteroid Belt at high speeds.

They posed a deadly threat to near-space mining ships, whose armor was weak and hulls as thin as eggshells.

If struck by these fast-moving bodies, a mining ship couldn't withstand more than a few impacts.

If a vital section was damaged, even the escape pod might not be enough to keep the miners alive.

Therefore, before mining operations officially began, the Mining Company would organize specialized Operation Ships to find a way to clear this outermost turbulence.

They didn't expect to eliminate the Turbulence Belt completely.

Given the movement of the celestial bodies, that would come at too great a cost.

But thinning out the Turbulence Belt was still necessary.

After the cleanup, the turbulence along the Asteroid Belt's outermost edge would become much sparser, often resulting in a brief "clear" period.

That was what the miners called the Clear Window Period.

With the Clear Window Period to help them, Wang Dong and the other miners could safely take their near-space mining ships into the Asteroid Belt Mining Zone to work.

One of Forward Base's main purposes was to observe and forecast the Clear Window Period.